CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Their lives took different paths to the White House. Their stories were very different, sometimes even tragic.

PRESIDENTIAL TRIVIA

The Twenty-Year Curse: Much has been made of this curse, which refers to U.S. presidents dying in office at 20-year intervals. It's also been called the Curse of Tippecanoe - referring to the 1811 Battle of Tippecanoe. In that battle, U.S. forces fighting Native Americans were led by William Henry Harrison, the first Ohioan to win the presidency, in 1840. Harrison died 32 days after taking office - marking the beginning the "Twenty-Year Curse." Believers in the curse point to a pattern of presidents dying in office every 20 years, from Harrison to Abraham Lincoln (elected 1860) to James A. Garfield (1880) to William McKinley (1900) to Warren Harding (1920) to Franklin D. Roosevelt (1940) to John F. Kennedy (1960). Four of the seven who died were Ohioans.

Hairy presidential dudes: Facial hair might be big among latter-day beardo cults, but you'd be hard-pressed to see a presidential candidate donning even stubble. The last US president to wear facial hair was Ohioan William H. Taft, who had a mustache. Ohio's glorious run of presidents dovetails with the facial-hair era, which began with Abraham Lincoln. There were six Ohio presidents between Lincoln and Taft. Five had facial hair and three had the kind of flowing beards that craft-beer hounds would drool over: Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield and Benjamin Harrison.

All about the McKinleys: If only the $500 bill was not discontinued in 1934, Puff Daddy might've been singing "all about the McKinleys." The 25th president, whose tenure was marked by economic growth, was featured on the $500 until the U.S. government phased out all large-denomination bills over $100. Currently, Ohio is repped by Ulysses Grant, on the $50 bill.

Old warriors: Twelve of America's presidents were generals. Five came from Ohio: William Henry Harrison, Grant, Hayes, Garfield and Benjamin Harrison.

O-H-I-O: Ruling dynasties are reserved for kings and sports teams. But there was a time when Ohio was a dynasty in the White House. From 1869 to 1913, six of America's nine presidents were from Ohio: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, McKinley and Taft.